The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-06-14
IMPROVING PLANTS.
COMPARATIVELY LITTLE HAS BEEN
DONE BY MODERN NATIONS.

Asia-what the Digger Indians Have
AccompIished-Mines OF Wealth In
Common Plants.
The report that some Russian soldiers have
discovered among the mountains Of central
Asia a new variety Of asparagus, the stalks Of
which are four or five inches in diameter and
eight or ten feet in height, is well calculated
10 bring joy 20 the hearts Of boarding house
keepers BY devOting a small portion Of their
back yards 10 the production Of this vegeta-
bic they can keep their tables supplied with
what is now classed among the somewhat
costly luxuries at a merely nominal cost.
Enterprising seedsmen have long been fur
nishiug what they call giant asparagus, so
that this name cannot be applied 10 this newly
discovered variety 1t is likely that it will
be called "boarding house" asparagus and
that it will become as common as hash and
"boarling house steak"
This discovery, if it turns ont 10 be as re-
ported, should serve 10 stimulate explorations
for the purpose Of finding other new vegeta-
bes valuable for food II is certain that
modern civilized nations have done compare
lively little 10y way Of discovering plants
valuable for food or in demonstrating or i'm
proving those found growing wild Few Of
them have taken pains 10 bring together all
the food furnishing plants found in different
parts Of The world One Of the generals Of
Alexander the Great on his expedition TO con
quer the east was left at Bagdad as governor,
and in two years time, it is said, he had
growing i'm and about the city every variety
of edible vegetable, grain and fruit known
in southern Europe. He also introduced all
kind, Of European trees, shrubs and vines
that were valuable either for their beauty or
utility.
IMPROVING NATIVE PLANTS
The Europeans on coming 10 this country
| found thc natives cultiyating maize or Indian
corn. potatoes aud tobacco, and these crops
soon produced most important changes in
MANY part, of the old world. There are good
reasons for believing that these plants were
very inferior chen growing in their wild
stat. 1u,y were improved by loEg and
careful .u walton by persons still in the saw
agc STATE. Tine Digger Indians, the lowest in
| the -..I. Of advancement of all the native
| tril.-. ,r, credited with DEMONSTRATING and
| impro, ing more than twenty plants. The so
called superior races, who have driven the
/ Indians from their homes, have done less
| than they dil ia improving native plants.
| The most promising Wild fruits ever found in
any country we're the papaw and persimmon,
which were distributed over large portion
of tic territory included in the United States;
still thcy have received scarcely any attention
from tine white settlers Wild rice is proba-
bis the most valuable grain produced any
where. hut mo- attempt has been made b in
crease 10, cultivation or 90 cause II b grow
50 that adj the grain Oh "A head Will mature
and iipcu at The same time, AS those Of wheat
rye. oats and barley now do.
The origin of many Of our most valuable
cultivated plants is not known. No one
knows who discovered them, when they were
domesticatel or how they looked before they
passed under cultivation. Few of them can
longer be found in a wild state As wild
plants it seems likely that they have entirely
disappeared from the surface Of the earth
Some may have undergone such changes by
cultivation that they would not be recognized
in their wild state.
CUMBERERs OF THE GROUND.
1t is generally believed that every plant
was created for some useful purpose; still no
use has been found for one plant in hun.
drel There may be mines Of wealth IN many
common plants found in most parts Of this
country that are now regarded as simply
"cumberers of the ground" Professor Beal,
the eminent practical botanist, has defined a
weel rs "a plant out Of place, or for which no
use has vet been found He appears 10 be
hopeful that the time will come when use
will bee found for all our native plants, many
of which are now regarded as positively in
furious Ii is likely that some of them need
only 10 be cultivated in order 10 develop most
valuable qualities II is quite likely thas
many plants entirely useless IN one country
may become very valuable by transporting
them 10 another part Of the world where the
soil aud climate are very different
The nature Of some plants has almost en-
tirely changed 10y removing them from Eng
land 10 Australia The common water cress
of northern Europe planted beside stream
in Australia assumes the proportions Of a
stately tree What is chiefly needed for agri
cultural prosperity in the southern states is a
grass suited 10 the peculiar soil and climate
Of those parts Of the country. Possibly 1t
might be found in some humble plant COM
mon in New Zealand or Siberia. There Is no
more promising field for enterprise than the
acclimation of foreign plants aud the i'm
lprovement Of native ones by careful cultiya-
ton. At the present time much more atten-
ton is given 10 acclimating and improving
wild Towering plants than those that promise
to be valuable for food-Chicago Times.